Breakdown of Sömmerskan väljer följsamma tyger till klänningen.
till
for (to go with)
välja
to choose
klänningen
the dress
tyget
the fabric
sömmerskan
the seamstress
följsam
supple
Questions & Answers about Sömmerskan väljer följsamma tyger till klänningen.
Why does följsamma have two 'm's here?
The base form of the adjective is följsam (supple). Because the final 'a' is a short vowel, we have to double the 'm' when adding the plural ending -a. If we only wrote one 'm' (*följsama), Swedish spelling rules would make that 'a' sound like a long vowel.
Is the double 'm' in sömmerskan (the seamstress) caused by the same spelling rule?
Yes! The root word is söm (seam or stitch). Swedish words almost never end in a double 'm', even if the vowel before it is short. But as soon as you add a suffix—like the ending -erska to make it a profession—the 'm' doubles to show that the ö is still a short vowel.
How does the word följsamma translate to "supple"?
It is built from the verb följa (to follow) and the adjective suffix -sam (which works just like "-some" in the English word "troublesome"). A fabric that is följsam is one that "follows" the shape of the body, making "supple", "flexible", or "compliant" the best English translations.
Why does the sentence use till klänningen instead of för klänningen to mean "for the dress"?
When "for" means "intended for" or "to be used as a part of" a physical object or person, Swedish uses till. You can think of it as the fabric physically going to the dress. För is generally used for more abstract benefits or substitutions, like bra för dig (good for you).
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